Introduction
For nearly four decades, the UK Government has been seeking a
long-term management solution for the UK's high and
intermediate level radioactive waste ('HLW'/'ILW').
DECC have chosen the method of geological disposal and have started
a site selection process, but in January 2013, after reaching Stage
3 of the process, Cumbria County Council rejected further proposals
for hosting a Geological Disposal Facility.
Re-consulting on site selection
After Cumbria County Council rejected the government's
proposals, the government launched a new review of the site
selection process. They recognised Cumbria's concerns over
community benefits and that they had not provided clarity on the
amounts of community benefits available. They also recognised that
the first release of community benefits comes too late in the
current process, the mechanism for delivering community benefits is
unclear and given the very long duration of the project, confidence
in the
